ACDG5: The Wardroom

[vyeh]

Notes:

(1) Maritime Control Center costs 300 minerals. We have two trance rover supply each worth 180 minerals. If we go with Doctrine: Initiative, we can start building more supply crawlers.

(2) Social Engineering slider is set to 100% lab. We'll have to bring this down if we don't pop some resupply pods. While rushing is nice, there are plenty of useful techs to research. Question for discussion: there are opportunities to build and hurry network nodes. At this point, we can trade one credit for one lab. If we hurry a network node that has 10 minerals accumulated, it will cost 140 credits. Let's say that it will produce a bonus of 3 labs. Is it worth spending 140 now so that we have an extra 3 labs per turn 14 turns earlier (and also freeing up the base 14 turns earlier to produce other things) or would we rather invest 140 labs so our research is done 3 turns earlier?

(3) Formers are working toward the following expansion base sites: (1) west of HQ; (2) east of East; (3) north of Gateway. I would also like to see a former working toward the inland river square in fungal fields.

(4) Formers are also working toward making every square worked as productive as possible. We're building a few sea formers with that in mind.

(5) As Lt. Bodissey reminded us concerning Drydock, there are plenty of opportunities for network nodes.

(6) After the IoD is finished exploring, I'd like to use it as a transport for a colony pod to the Manifold Nexus Central island. It would give us a base.

(7) Similarly, I'd like to consider sending a sea colony pod to the Atlantic Ruins.

(8) I think the key to our military strategy is control of the seas through the Maritime Control Center, cruisers (both come from Doctrine: Initiative), and the most advanced weapons and armor and control of the air from needlejets (Doctrine: Air Power) and copters (Mind/Machine Interface, which will require Neural Grafting in addition to Doctrine: Air Power).

(9) We're close to Deidre on the power bar. It will be more difficult to maintain our pact now that we are a competitor.

(10) To get techs faster, we can (1) allocate more energy to labs; (2) build network nodes; (3) build solar collectors; (4) build tidal harnesses and crawl energy; (5)establish more bases; and (6) switch to knowledge once we've traded for cyberethics (Zakharov has cyberethics).

[Nahkrinoth]

Let's build network nodes and trawl tidal harnessed ocean squares.

Manifold Nexus Central would be a great spot for a base.

Atlantic Ruins is really far away. We'd need a heavy escort to get a sea colony pod out there.

[Bodissey]

(1) While I recognize there is much to be gained from the Maritime Control Center, I would prefer a different approach.

My wild guess is that we could try to get Doctrine: Air Power if we could tamper with the Modulo Tech equation by trading a new tech with any of our pact teammates.
We could try to get Superconductor from Morgan, for instance.
Provided we can do this trick, I would much prefer to get Air Power before any other rival. It would give us a much bigger advantage than the cruisers and the Maritime Control Center issued by Doctrine: Initiative.

Otherwise, regarding (2), it is true Network Nodes are not to be built lightly. The ratio tech produced/cost needs careful review. That is why I think the bases must be carefully selected. Nothing under 8 labs, for instance, depending on the science/eco ratio.

(3) the base sites are fine with me.

(4) I couldn't agree more, provided we equip some formers with the fungicide tanks to speed up the fungus cleaning process.

(5) see my answer to (2) above ;-)

(6) If the IoD can survive these dangerous waters, yes. But with the gun foil support, it should be ok.

(7) Atlantic Ruins offers indeed a fine base site, but rather exposed to our enemies.

(8) I concur, but I would rather have Air Power before Doc: Initiative, as exposed in (1).

(9) We have plenty of things in common with her right now: democratic, green and an common enemy. This should be enough to maintain the pact with Deirdre alive and running.

(10) As land is scarce, the land energy park option seems out of the question but tidal harnesses might do the trick. We should therefore choose a candidate for a super science city accordingly (a coastal city seems mandatory).

But these are just my thoughts, please feel free to criticize and to point my mistakes.

[vyeh]

(1) Let's try your approach. I've added to the instructions for 2142 to contact Morgan if we didn't get a tech from Deidre when we coordinated battle plans. If neither of those work out and there is a tech trade with Zakharov, go ahead.

(2) Network node will create 4 bonus labs on 7 or 8 lab production. At 70%, both Sunken City and Seaview are producing 7 labs. So I think those should also build network nodes.

(4) Once we get synthetic fossil fuels, we'll see about a few fungicidal formers. The ability cost an extra 10 minerals (so 30 minerals instead of 20 for land formers and 50 instead of 40 for sea formers).

(6) Since the gun foil has to expend three movement points in fungus and the IoD only 1, the IoD will speed things up. If we use the IoD first to pop pods, the gun foil can attempt a capture of any wild IoD's or attack it if the capture fails.

(7) Atlantic Ruins would be a forward base. It would be protected by advanced naval units and would serve as a base for them. I'd rather think of our enemies being exposed to Atlantic Ruins!

(8) If we can research Doctrine: Air Power, that's okay. We might be able to make a trade of synthetic fossil fuels the turn we discover it. Then we could change our research (and lose half of that turns research). We might adjust the slider just before that turn so we put the minimum research needed to get synthetic fossil fuels.

(9) I'd prefer to avoid unnecessary communication with Deidre. Let's speak to her for battle coordination or when we have a new tech she might be interested in. Let's avoid going into squares next to her bases or units if we can avoid it.

(10) My candidate for a super science city is Seaview. The Freshwater Sea is enclosed (once we clear out the fungus no IoD's will come wandering by). If we run out of room in the Freshwater Sea, additional trawlers can always be sent out of Suez to trawl the area around Ushuaia. Seaview is very well defended by geography. And it is very central to our biggest mineral producers (South, HQ and Drydock) so secret projects could easily be augmented by crawlers from those bases.

[vyeh]

Something else to consider. With our impact foil and the number of Spartan units we've destroyed, the Spartans may want a blood truce.

If they contact us, we won't pay anything. If they offer an even tech trade, let's not trade synthetic fossil fuels (weapons 6) or high energy chemistry (armor 3) since we're in a vendetta, but anything else would be okay.

If there is a blood truce, we can physically blockade the Spartans with gun foils and other cheap units, so it is not necessary to be at vendetta to keep them out of our waters or land.

[Nahkrinoth]

Keep in mind that even with air power we won't be attacking any bases quite so soon. All other factions have perimeter defenses.

If we're going to make effective use of air power we'll need bases spaced out in the ocean to launch from. It will be nice to scout with needlejets and then move our navy accordingly.

[vyeh]

Air power is also good for keeping our shores clear of transports.

Once we've got bases around the coast, we can build sea colony pods. We're continuing to expand. Let's keep an eye out for good sea base sites.

[vyeh]

Let's not forget biology labs. They cost 60 minerals, have a 1 credit maintenance and produce 2 labs.

[Nahkrinoth]

Are we getting dragged in with Morgan against the believers? We're starting to pile up enemies.

[vyeh]

We shouldn't start a vendetta against the Believers (let them start one). There is that Believing plasma coastal still lurking around.

We will try everything to research Doctrine: Air Power including contacting Morgan in successive turns and being open to a tech trade with our enemies.

BEFORE ENDING 2142:

(1) Contact Morgan. Try to get a tech at any price (credits; we don't have any tech that he doesn't have).

(2) Set social engineering slider to 70% economy/30% labs.

(3) Change Gateway to recycling tanks.

(4) Hurry Suez for 2 credits (full payment).

(5) Move Ushuaia recon rover at South to Suez and Gateway trance scout infantry at Suez to East.

(6) Move South skimship supply into Gibraltar, re-home, move 1 sq. NW and crawl 3 nutrients for Gibraltar.

BETWEEN 2142 AND 2143:

(7) If Santiago contacts us, we'll do a trade that does not involve us giving her Synthetic Fossil Fuels or High Energy Chemistry. Do not end the vendetta (even if our patrol vessels are confronted by that (5)-2-4 Gatling foil, there are two of them so we have a chance of trading one of our vessels for the Gatling foil).

(8) If Miriam contacts us, we'll do a trade that does not involve Nonlinear Mathematics or Synthetic Fossil Fuels. We will not end our pact with Morgan. We won't give into extortion.

(9) HQ builds trance scout infantry. Change to former.

(10) Suez builds former. Change to colony pod.

(11) We discover Synthetic Fossil Fuels. Change to Doctrine: Air Power or, if that is not available, Doctrine: Initiative.

FOR 2143:

(12) Contact Morgan. He has Superconductor and Environmental Economics. We have Synthetic Fossil Fuels. See if he will trade Environmental Economics for Synthetic Fossil Fuels. (We don't need weapons 5 and Environmental Economics lifts energy restrictions and provides tree farms.)

(13) If we're not able to switch to Doctrine: Air Power, contact Zakharov and try a tech trade.

(14) If we're not researching Doctrine: Air Power and we've had a successful tech trade, change research goal to Doctrine: Air Power.

(15) Change social engineering slider to 0% economy/100% labs.

(16) Suez former moves 2 sq. N and plants forest.

(17) Ushuaia trance scout infantry at monolith and Gateway trance scout infantry at East exchange places and Gateway trance scout infantry investigates monolith.

(18) Gibraltar trance scout infantry at South and East trance scout infantry at East exchange places.

(19) Gibraltar former droid plants forest.

(20) HQ former droid moves 1 sq. W.

(21) HQ trance scout infantry moves 1 sq. NE and investigates monolith (unless HQ former droid encounters mindworm, in which case it covers former droid).

(22) Ushuaia former (with movement point) cultivates farm.

(23) Drydock impact foil moves to Spartan waters.

(24) Drydock plasma coastal and Sunken City plasma hoverboat patrols, attacking any Spartan noncombat units they encounter.

(25) Southern Drydock gun foil goes toward Manifold Nexus Central (to uncover black squares; this is a change in plan);

(26) Western South gun foil rests.

(27) Mindworm on Hive continent attacks Hive former.

(28) Northern Drydock gun foil moves to nearest monolith.

(29) IoD moves 3 sq. W, 1 sq. SW and investigates monolith.

(30) Eastern South gun foil explores in westerly direction.

[vyeh]

I'm calling for a vote on whether we should enter into a blood truce with the Spartans if they offer it.

I'm voting no. We will soon have an impact foil in their waters. At this point, we've only seen synth armor, although we must consider the Spartans have acquired High Energy Chemistry.

The impact foil, the plasma coastal and the plasma hoverboat will be enough to contain the Gatling foil until we can build a missile foil. It is a lot easier to keep the Spartans from disturbing the development of our land mass and waters if we can keep units and sea colony pods away.

We don't have enough units at present to physically blockade the waters. I see the Spartans as the greater threat (the Believers have a slow tech research rate), so I'd like to keep them trimmed down if we can do so without hurting our own development.

We are only devoting Drydock to the vendetta (and we should be prototyping new weapons systems as we research them, anyway). HQ can build formers, crawlers for Drydock and re-home them to Drydock, so we can continue developing the terrain around Drydock (and we can also consider rushing Drydock network node if we pop a resupply pod or kill more mindworms; I'm assuming Lt. Bodissey wants Doctrine: Air Power as soon as possible).

Our vendetta with the Hive isn't taking too much of our military strength since the Hive is far away. We can devote the two mindworms to attacking noncombat units (we have to be careful not to let Hive units attack the mindworms; they're weak and psi attackers get a 3-2 advantage on land; however, mindworms can attack on partial movement point without penalty, so we can move on fungus, spot unit and attack).

If Believers enter into vendetta, we only have to worry about that plasma coastal. In that case, we should divert the impact foil (or the missile foil when it is built) to hunt it down. Until the Believers have more than laser, our blockading forces are secure.

[vyeh]

At this point, I think our development is a strategy somewhere between these two poles:

(1) Mineral focus: Build crawlers (and enough formers to build forests and mines for the crawlers).

(2) Tech focus: Build Biology Labs and (when the lab output justifies it) Network Nodes.

Obviously, we want something in between. But where?

This has to be constrained by:

(1) Military preparedness: Prototyping new weapons, chassis, armor is vital. Building trance scout infantry for new bases is important. Building trance scout infantry to protect former in fungus in nice (since those trance scout infantry can be homed to a new base).

(2) Expansion: Building colony pods when a new base site has been prepped (road is desirable; must have at least three squares producing 4 nutrients; minerals are nice).

(3) Credits: Must have enough to maintain facilities, change social engineering.

(4) Probes: It would be nice to infiltrate our enemies and potential enemies.

(5) Blockade: We should blockade Blast Rifle Crag either with a new unit (nice) or with the Plasma Hoverboat once the impact foil is in Spartan waters (two units to support each other seems sufficient at the moment).

[vyeh]

Re being dragged in with Morgan against the Believers:

The Believers are aggressive by nature. If they start a vendetta, they won't do it because we're in a pact with Morgan.

Morgan has been very good to us. We've gotten a lot of tech from him. We did get a map from Miriam (in exchange for High Energy Chemistry). But we haven't been able to get a treaty. A vendetta with Miriam wouldn't involve any extra effort other than to be careful of that Plasma Coastal. We're already blockading them.

[Nahkrinoth]

Let's get as many crawlers and formers as we need and get biology labs in all bases and network nodes in the ones where it'll make a significant difference.

Do you want to invade the Spartans or just maintain a blockade? A truce would be adequate for the latter.

[vyeh]

It is a tradeoff between crawlers/formers and biology labs/network nodes. If we're building crawlers, then we're not building biology labs. We can bring the bases up to just before ecodamage and then build biology labs or we can build biology labs and then build crawlers.

Ships don't have zone of controls. If we wanted to blockade the passage between Seat of Proper Thought and the Spartan mainland, we'd need at least 7 units (if we ignore the fungus, we'd need 5 units). We don't have that many units in Spartan waters right now, so the only way to maintain the blockade is to destroy units that try to slip by.

We've already destroyed a sea colony pod (and those are the worst because they can spawn more units once they've created a base).